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Enterprise Control Interpretation Lens(ECIL)
A capability-centric model for interpreting security, risk, and regulation across multiple standards
Created by Claudiu Tabac - © 2026
This material is open for educational and research use. Commercial use without explicit permission from the author is not allowed
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Understanding Enterprise Control Interpretation Lens(ECIL)
What ECILIs
Enterprise Control Interpretation Lens(ECIL) is a capability-centric framework designed to interpret security, risk, and regulation across multiple standards and directives without collapsing them into checklists or tool-specific controls.
ECIL starts from what organizations actually need to be able to do-govern, protect, detect, respond, and sustain security—and treats regulatory frameworks as interpretive lenses applied to the same underlying capabilities.
The Purpose
The purpose of ECIL is sense-making, not scoring. It helps senior security leaders understand why requirements overlap, where expectations converge, and how governance and capability maturity translate across regulatory contexts.
ISO/IEC 27001, NIS2, DORA, GDPR, and SOC 2 are not separate silos in ECIL; they are different ways of evaluating the same security reality.
Framework Philosophy
Capability-First Approach
ECIL begins with what organizations need to accomplish, not what compliance frameworks demand. This ensures security capabilities remain relevant regardless of regulatory changes.
Regulatory as Lenses
Different frameworks are treated as interpretive perspectives on the same underlying security reality, enabling cross-framework reasoning without fragmentation.
Context Preservation
ECIL maintains the narrative and strategic context of security decisions, avoiding reduction to mere control checklists or audit scores.
What ECIL Is - and Is Not
ECIL Is
A capability-first interpretation model
Structured around what organizations must be able to do in enterprise security environments
A structured reasoning framework
Enables systematic thinking across multiple regulatory frameworks simultaneously
A navigation framework
Preserves context and avoids the fragmentation common in traditional compliance approaches
ECIL Is Not
A compliance checklist
Does not reduce security to simple pass/fail criteria or control inventories
An audit tool or scoring engine
Not designed for generating compliance scores or automated assessment reports
A replacement for existing tools
Complements rather than replaces existing standards or GRC platforms in your organization
Core Structure of ECIL
ECIL is built around three primary axes that work together to provide comprehensive security interpretation across regulatory contexts. Each axis serves a distinct purpose while integrating seamlessly with the others.
Capability Model
Defines the core security capabilities required in an enterprise environment, independent of regulation. This foundational layer establishes what organizations must be able to do.
Regulatory & Assurance Lenses
Apply different regulatory perspectives to the same capabilities, explaining how each framework evaluates security. Shows convergence and divergence across standards.
Mapping & Reference Views
Provide traceability and lookup without disrupting narrative understanding. Enable quick reference while maintaining strategic context.
The Capability Model Explained
At the heart of ECIL lies a comprehensive capability model that defines what organizations must be able to do to maintain effective enterprise security. These capabilities are organized into logical clusters that span the full security lifecycle.
Govern
Strategic direction, policy, and oversight
Protect
Preventive controls and security measures
Detect
Monitoring and threat identification
Respond
Incident management and containment
Sustain
Continuous improvement and resilience
These capabilities remain constant regardless of which regulatory framework is applied. Regulations change how we evaluate these capabilities, but not what capabilities are fundamentally required.
Regulatory Lenses in Practice
ECIL treats major regulatory frameworks as interpretive lenses that evaluate the same underlying security capabilities from different perspectives. This approach reveals how requirements converge and where frameworks emphasize different aspects of security.
ISO/IEC 27001
Process-oriented information security management system focused on risk-based controls and continuous improvement cycles
NIS2
Network and information systems security with emphasis on critical infrastructure resilience and supply chain risk
DORA
Digital operational resilience for financial entities, focusing on ICT risk management and third-party dependencies
GDPR
Privacy-first framework emphasizing data protection by design, individual rights, and accountability mechanisms
SOC 2
Trust services criteria for security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy in service organizations
Designed for Security Leaders
Who ECIL Serves
ECIL is designed for senior security leaders, architects, and advisors who need to reason across complexity-not reduce it to superficial compliance.
The framework favors clarity of interpretation over exhaustiveness of control listings. It's built for professionals who must navigate multiple regulatory demands while maintaining strategic security vision.
  • Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs)
  • Security architects and strategists
  • Governance, risk, and compliance leaders
  • Enterprise security advisors
  • Regulatory affairs specialists

Key Principle
Start anywhere. Change perspective freely. The underlying security reality remains the same.
Created by Claudiu Tabac — © 2026
This material is open for educational and research use. Commercial use without explicit permission from the author is not allowed.
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